StoryBots

StoryBots
Type of site
 Education
Available in English
Headquarters Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Owner JibJab
Key people Evan Spiridellis, Founder
Gregg Spiridellis, Founder & CEO
Website http://www.storybots.com
Launched 2012

StoryBots is a multi-platform learning program for children ages 3–8, created by digital entertainment studio JibJab. StoryBots produces a collection of web and mobile apps and content, including educational books, videos, games and classroom activities designed to make foundational learning fun and encourage intellectual curiosity in children.[1]

Similar to the personalized videos and e-cards produced by its parent company JibJab, StoryBots uses its Starring You feature to put the user’s face and name into many of its videos, books and activities.[2] Subjects cover a wide range of topics and feature a cast of characters called the StoryBots, who are tiny robots who live within our computers, tablets and phones and help humans answer questions.[3] StoryBots videos have amassed more than 300 million views online, while its eBooks have been read more than eight million times.[1]

StoryBots apps are available for free download on IOS platforms and come with some sample content, while subscribers have unlimited access to the entire content library across all platforms.[4] Credentialed teachers and schools can also gain free access to StoryBots Classroom, an educator resource that includes the StoryBots library as well as additional classroom activities and management tools.[5]

In 2016, the StoryBots franchise expanded into television with the premieres of two original animated series, Ask the StoryBots and StoryBots Super Songs, both on Netflix.[6]

History

StoryBots launched to the public in the fall of 2012, and has been featured on CNN,[7] The New York Times,[8] CNBC,[9] and other news outlets.[10][11][12][13] Gregg Spiridellis, co-founder and CEO of StoryBots, told CNBC in 2013 that he and his brother have five young children between them and noticed “a massive shift in how kids are consuming media.”[9] Spiridellis says that became the inspiration for StoryBots, a collection of apps designed to be akin to Sesame Street but for a device-centric, connected generation of children.[14]

Library

StoryBots pairs educators and learning experts with JibJab's team of artists, storytellers and technologists to build a robust library of learning content and activities.[15] The library currently includes:

Apps

StoryBots currently offers a mobile app available for download for IPad, IPhone and Apple TV. A single member subscription works across all available mobile apps, as well as on the StoryBots website.[4] StoryBots also offers three specialty holiday-themed apps:

StoryBots Classroom

In 2016, StoryBots launched StoryBots Classroom, a free resource for educators that includes unlimited access to the entire StoryBots library of books, videos and activities, as well as the newly created Common Core State Standards Initiative-aligned Math Games, and a suite of classroom management tools including Group Builder, Lesson Planner, Home Assignment and Class Roster.[1] The product is designed for use on laptops, tablets and interactive white boards.[5] When it was released, StoryBots Classroom was by profiled by Education Week[25] and was named a S'Cool Tool of the Week by EdSurge.[26]

According to its website, StoryBots is used in more than 10,000 classrooms worldwide.[27] In an interview, CEO Gregg Spiridellis cited an attempt to bridge the "digital divide" between wealthier school districts and less fortunate schools - as well as the role of teachers as powerful advocates - as the impetus to offer StoryBots to teachers for free.[15]

TV Series

The StoryBots franchise's inaugural original TV series, Ask the StoryBots, premiered on Netflix on August 12, 2016. The show, which follows the StoryBots characters of Beep, Boop, Bing, Bang and Bo as they go on adventures into the human world to help answer kids' biggest questions, stars Judy Greer and includes guest appearances from Jay Leno, Whoopi Goldberg, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Kevin Smith, Garfunkel and Oates, Tim Meadows and Chris Parnell. Ask the StoryBots received critical acclaim for its educational quality and entertainment value for both parents and children. The show also spawned a soundtrack available on Spotify, Apple Music, ITunes and Amazon.com.

A companion series, StoryBots Super Songs, premiered on October 7, 2016, also on Netflix. While each episode of Ask the StoryBots featured the lead characters answering a child's single question, StoryBots Super Songs focuses on broader topics, such as outer space, colors, shapes and dinosaurs, through music and live-action vignettes with real children.[28]

Awards

Since its founding in 2012, StoryBots has won numerous awards, including a Parent’s Choice Award, a Family Choice Award, an Appy Award for a Best Book App,[29] and an Editor's Choice Award from Children's Technology Review.[30]

In 2016, StoryBots received the Cynopsis Kids !magination Award for best educational mobile app, while StoryBots Classroom won the Learning Magazine 2017 Teachers’ Choice Award for the Classroom.[28]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "StoryBots Launches Groundbreaking Product for Kindergarten Classrooms - and It's Free for Teachers". Marketwired.com. 9 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Jeter, Brandi. "StoryBook Starring You by @StoryBots Preschool App Review". Mama Knows It All. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "TechZulu • StoryBots Brings Edutainment to Second Screens | Delighting Kids". TechZulu. 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  4. 1 2 "StoryBots – Learning Books, Videos and Games Starring Your Child! on the App Store". App Store. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  5. 1 2 Bolkan, Joshua (9 February 2016). "StoryBots Adds Free Videos, Activities for Whiteboards, Tablets". THE Journal.
  6. ↑ "Get By This Summer with a Little Help from Netflix". Netflix Media Center. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  7. ↑ "CNN". CNN.com. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Three Noteworthy Apps for Children". New York Times. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  9. 1 2 "JibJab's Latest Venture: StoryBots". CNBC. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  10. ↑ Smith, Andrea. "JibJab Brothers Create StoryBots Entertainment for Kids". Mashable. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  11. ↑ Graser, Marc. "JibJab pair launch StoryBots". Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  12. ↑ "Evan, Gregg Spiridellis Discuss JibJab, StoryBots". Bloomberg TV. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "JibJab Brothers Introduce StoryBots – An Evolution in Fun and Learning for Today's Connected Kids". Yahoo! News. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "Bobblehead-Loving JibJab Brothers Grow Up, Make Vids For Kids". Fast Company. 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  15. 1 2 victorrivero (2016-04-25). "Making Good Humans". edtechdigest.com. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  16. ↑ "Learning Videos". www.storybots.com. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  17. ↑ "StoryBots - Starring You® Videos". StoryBots. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  18. ↑ "Learning Books". www.storybots.com. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  19. ↑ "StoryBots - Starring You® Books". StoryBots. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  20. ↑ "ABC Printables and Activity Sheets for Kids - StoryBots". StoryBots. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  21. ↑ "Learning and Fun for Kids". www.storybots.com. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  22. ↑ "A StoryBots Halloween - Starring You as a Ghost, Vampire, Frankenstein, Werewolf & Mummy for Kids, Parents, Teachers on the App Store". App Store. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  23. ↑ "Christmas: Starring You! by StoryBots on the App Store". App Store. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  24. ↑ "Christmas Tap and Sing by StoryBots — Holiday Songs for the Family on the App Store". App Store. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  25. ↑ Lynch, Matthew. "How Teachers Can Use Education Technology to Boost Engagement". Education Week - Education Futures: Emerging Trends in K-12. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  26. ↑ "S'Cool Tools of the Week: GooseChase, OneVote, StoryBots Classroom, FlipQuiz (EdSurge News)". EdSurge. 2016-02-14. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  27. ↑ "Teachers Use StoryBots Educational Games". StoryBots. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  28. 1 2 "They're Back! All-New StoryBots TV Series Premieres Today". StoryBots Blog. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  29. ↑ "Nothing Found • Geek Insider". Geek Insider. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  30. ↑ "StoryBots Tap & Sing | Children's Technology Review". childrenstech.com. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
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